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Corsair Buys Origin PC to Tap Demand for High-End Gaming

'We wanted to do more to reach customers in North America that prefer to buy, rather than build, their (PC) system,' said Corsair CEO's Andy Paul in today's announcement.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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PC component vendor Corsair has acquired custom gaming desktop maker Origin PC to help it expand across the US.

Corsair made the deal to tap the growing high-end gaming desktop business at a time when more consumers are jumping from traditional consoles to PCs, the company said in today's announcement. Although Corsair is a well-known brand among PC builders, some gamers like to hire companies such as Origin to assemble the desktop rigs for them, noted Corsair CEO's Andy Paul.

"We wanted to do more to reach customers in North America that prefer to buy, rather than build, their system," he said in a statement. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

California-based Corsair makes all kinds of PC parts and peripherals, including cases, keyboards, cooling fans, power supplies, and RAM. So you can expect more parts to end up in Origin products, which include laptops and workstations.

The first Corsair component to be integrated into Origin products will be the Hydro X liquid cooling units. However, Origin customers will still have the freedom to choose components from other top brands and vendors.

Despite today's acquisition, Corsair and Origin will remain separate brands. Origin will continue operating from its offices in Miami, Florida, and maintain its focus on building custom gaming rigs by hand. "All existing Origin PC warranties, purchases, and support are unaffected and will continue to be provided by Origin PC's world-class customer support team," the companies added.

Corsair, on the other hand, will still produce its own desktop rigs, including the Corsair One and Corsair One Pro. However, these systems will focus on being pre-configured desktop offerings. Origin PC's products, on the other hand, will let interested buyers customize their gaming rigs on its website.

Although PC gaming shipments dropped year-over-over in this year's first quarter, research firm IDC expects the shipments to pick up over the ensuing months. "IDC anticipates the market for gaming desktops, notebooks, and monitors will grow 7.3 percent for the full year of 2019, reaching 41.5 million units," it said in a research note last month. "The rise of esports, new business models such as subscription services, and an abundance of video games will continue to drive the market forward."

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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